Abstract

Studying the structure of excited nucleon states employing the electroproduction of exclusive reactions is an important avenue for exploring the nature of the non-perturbative strong interaction. The electrocouplings of $N^*$ states in the mass range below 1.8~GeV have been determined from analyses of CLAS $$\pi N$$, $$\eta N$$, and $$\pi \pi N$$ data. This work has made it clear that consistent results from independent analyses of several exclusive channels with different couplings and non-resonant backgrounds but the same $N^*$ electro excitation amplitudes, is essential to have confidence in the extracted results. In terms of hadronic coupling, many high-lying $N^*$ states preferentially decay through the $$\pi \pi N$$ channel instead of $$\pi N$$. Data from the $KY$ channels will therefore be critical to provide an independent analysis to compare the extracted electrocouplings for the high-lying $N^*$ states against those determined from the $$\pi N$$ and $$\pi \pi N$$ channels. Lastly, a program to study excited $N^*$ state structure in both non-strange and strange exclusive electroproduction channels using CLAS12 will measure differential cross sections and polarization observables to be used as input to extract the $$\gamma_vNN^*$$ electrocoupling amplitudes for the most prominent $N^*$ states in the range of invariant energy $W$ up 3~GeV in the virtually unexplored domain of momentum transfers $Q^2$ up to 12~GeV$^2$.

@article{osti_1328440,
title = {Nucleon resonance structure studies via exclusive KY electroproduction},
author = {Carman, Daniel S.},
abstractNote = {Studying the structure of excited nucleon states employing the electroproduction of exclusive reactions is an important avenue for exploring the nature of the non-perturbative strong interaction. The electrocouplings of $N^*$ states in the mass range below 1.8~GeV have been determined from analyses of CLAS $\pi N$, $\eta N$, and $\pi \pi N$ data. This work has made it clear that consistent results from independent analyses of several exclusive channels with different couplings and non-resonant backgrounds but the same $N^*$ electro excitation amplitudes, is essential to have confidence in the extracted results. In terms of hadronic coupling, many high-lying $N^*$ states preferentially decay through the $\pi \pi N$ channel instead of $\pi N$. Data from the $KY$ channels will therefore be critical to provide an independent analysis to compare the extracted electrocouplings for the high-lying $N^*$ states against those determined from the $\pi N$ and $\pi \pi N$ channels. Lastly, a program to study excited $N^*$ state structure in both non-strange and strange exclusive electroproduction channels using CLAS12 will measure differential cross sections and polarization observables to be used as input to extract the $\gamma_vNN^*$ electrocoupling amplitudes for the most prominent $N^*$ states in the range of invariant energy $W$ up 3~GeV in the virtually unexplored domain of momentum transfers $Q^2$ up to 12~GeV$^2$.},
doi = {10.1007/s00601-016-1131-z},
journal = {Few-Body Systems},
number = 10,
volume = 57,
place = {United States},
year = 2016,
month = 6
}

The studies of N* structure represent a key direction in the N* Program with CLAS detector. After 12 GeV Upgrade, the dedicated experiment on the studies of N* structure at largest photon virtualities ever achieved Q^2<12 GeV^2 is scheduled for the first year of running with the CLAS12 detector. The current status and plans for theory support of the N* structure studies in exclusive meson electroproduction are presented. They include the recent advances in the reaction theory for extraction of N* electrocouplings from the data and the approaches for high level theoretical interpretation of these fundamental quantities, allowing us tomore » access dynamics of non-perturbative strong interaction which is responsible for the resonance formation and explore how it emerges from QCD.« less

The amplitude for hard exclusive pseudoscalar meson electroproduction off nucleon (nuclear) targets is computed in QCD within the leading {alpha}{sub s}lnQ{sup 2}/{Lambda}{sub QCD}{sup 2} approximation. We show that the distribution of recoil nucleons depends strongly on the angle between the momentum of the recoil nucleon and the polarization vector of the target (or outgoing nucleon). This dependence is especially sensitive to the spin flip skewed parton distribution (SPD) {tilde E}. We argue also that the scaling for this spin asymmetry sets in at lower Q{sup 2} than that for the absolute cross section. Based on the chiral quark-soliton model ofmore » the nucleon we estimate quantitatively the spin asymmetry. In the case of {pi}{sup +} production this asymmetry is dominated at small {ital t} by the contribution of the pion pole in the isovector SPD {tilde E} as required by PCAC. In the case of K{sup 0} production off a proton we find a large enhancement of the cross section as compared to the case of {pi}{sup 0} production. For the forward production of neutral pseudoscalar mesons off a deuteron target we find the cross section should be zero for the zero deuteron helicity (along the {gamma}{sup {asterisk}}D direction). We consider also cross sections of quasielastic processes off nuclei including the feasibility to implant K{sup +},{rho} mesons into nuclear volume. thinsp {copyright} {ital 1999} {ital The American Physical Society}« less

The CLAS detector at Jefferson Lab is a unique instrument, which has provided the lion's share of the world's data on meson photo- and electroproduction in the resonance excitation region. The electroexcitation amplitudes for the low-lying resonances P{sub 33} (1232), P{sub 11} (1440), D{sub 13} (1520), and S {sub 11} (1535) were determined over a wide range of Q{sub 2} < 5.0 GeV{sub 2} in a comprehensive analysis of exclusive single-meson ( {pi}{sup +} n, {pi}{sup 0} p) reactions in the electroproduction off protons. Further, we were able to precisely measure {pi}{sup +}{pi}{sup -}p electroproduction differential cross sections provided bymore » the nearly full kinematic coverage of the CLAS detector. And, for the first time, the electrocouplings of the P{sub 11} (1440), D{sub 13} (1520) excited states are determined from the exclusive-{pi}{sup +}{pi}{sup -}p reaction. Consistent results on the electrocouplings from two-independent analyses (single- and double-pion electroproduction) have provided compelling evidence for the reliable extraction of the N* electrocouplings. And preliminary results on the electrocouplings of the S{sub 31} (1620), S{sub 11} (1650), D{sub 33} (1700), and P{sub 13} (1720) states, which decay preferentially to the N{pi} {pi} final states, have recently become available. Theoretical analyses of these results have revealed that there are two major contributions to the resonance structure: a) an internal quark core and b) an external meson-baryon cloud. These CLAS results have had considerable impact on QCD-based studies on N* structure and in the search for manifestations of the dynamical masses of the dressed quarks. Future CLAS12 N* structure studies at high photon virtualities will considerably extend our capabilities in exploring the nature of confinement in baryons.« less